But how about you? We'd like to hear your stories about record shops that provided your formative music-buying experiences. Stores that have since closed, those that are still thriving – we're interested in hearing about all of them.

If you're interested in taking part, send us a short paragraph, from 50 to 250 words, telling us about your favourite record store, its location, and what it is (or was) that makes it special to you. Email your contribution to adam.boult@guardian.co.uk with the subject link "record shops". We'll publish the best submissions this Friday.